Alan Rosenstein

It doesn't matter what the laws in China say. At the end of the day, China is an authoritarian police state. in which the Chinese government and specifically Xi Jinping, the head of China, decides all the important issues. So if Xi Jinping wants ByteDance to sell TikTok, ByteDance will sell TikTok. If Xi Jinping does not want it to, with or without the algorithm, ByteDance will not sell TikTok.

It doesn't matter what the laws in China say. At the end of the day, China is an authoritarian police state. in which the Chinese government and specifically Xi Jinping, the head of China, decides all the important issues. So if Xi Jinping wants ByteDance to sell TikTok, ByteDance will sell TikTok. If Xi Jinping does not want it to, with or without the algorithm, ByteDance will not sell TikTok.

It doesn't matter what the laws in China say. At the end of the day, China is an authoritarian police state. in which the Chinese government and specifically Xi Jinping, the head of China, decides all the important issues. So if Xi Jinping wants ByteDance to sell TikTok, ByteDance will sell TikTok. If Xi Jinping does not want it to, with or without the algorithm, ByteDance will not sell TikTok.

But it's not a question fundamentally of Chinese law. It's a question of geopolitics. And so I think what Trump can do most productively if he wants to is not try to get a U.S. buyer, right? There are plenty of U.S. buyers lining up to do this. The problem was never getting a U.S. buyer.

But it's not a question fundamentally of Chinese law. It's a question of geopolitics. And so I think what Trump can do most productively if he wants to is not try to get a U.S. buyer, right? There are plenty of U.S. buyers lining up to do this. The problem was never getting a U.S. buyer.

But it's not a question fundamentally of Chinese law. It's a question of geopolitics. And so I think what Trump can do most productively if he wants to is not try to get a U.S. buyer, right? There are plenty of U.S. buyers lining up to do this. The problem was never getting a U.S. buyer.

It's doing whatever diplomacy is necessary to do with Xi Jinping in order, if the law is upheld, for this transaction to go through. And the question is... Both one of desire on Trump's part, does he want to use his political capital in this way, especially since he likes to be seen as very tough on China and he's potentially preparing a whole trade war and tariff war with China?

It's doing whatever diplomacy is necessary to do with Xi Jinping in order, if the law is upheld, for this transaction to go through. And the question is... Both one of desire on Trump's part, does he want to use his political capital in this way, especially since he likes to be seen as very tough on China and he's potentially preparing a whole trade war and tariff war with China?

It's doing whatever diplomacy is necessary to do with Xi Jinping in order, if the law is upheld, for this transaction to go through. And the question is... Both one of desire on Trump's part, does he want to use his political capital in this way, especially since he likes to be seen as very tough on China and he's potentially preparing a whole trade war and tariff war with China?

And then the other question is capacity. Can Trump do this, right? Can Trump do this kind of diplomacy?

And then the other question is capacity. Can Trump do this, right? Can Trump do this kind of diplomacy?

And then the other question is capacity. Can Trump do this, right? Can Trump do this kind of diplomacy?

So a couple of points here. So the first is you're right. Some of the evidence is classified. We won't know that ever. So the government during the debates in Congress about the law. delivered a set of classified briefings to the House and the Senate. Some of these at least were very powerful.

So a couple of points here. So the first is you're right. Some of the evidence is classified. We won't know that ever. So the government during the debates in Congress about the law. delivered a set of classified briefings to the House and the Senate. Some of these at least were very powerful.

So a couple of points here. So the first is you're right. Some of the evidence is classified. We won't know that ever. So the government during the debates in Congress about the law. delivered a set of classified briefings to the House and the Senate. Some of these at least were very powerful.

There was one famous example where I think the briefing was given to the House and a bunch of representatives walked into that briefing and they talked to journalists beforehand saying how skeptical they were of the law. And then they walk out of that briefing saying that they supported the law 100%. So clearly the government, the intelligence agencies and the FBI told Congress something.

There was one famous example where I think the briefing was given to the House and a bunch of representatives walked into that briefing and they talked to journalists beforehand saying how skeptical they were of the law. And then they walk out of that briefing saying that they supported the law 100%. So clearly the government, the intelligence agencies and the FBI told Congress something.

There was one famous example where I think the briefing was given to the House and a bunch of representatives walked into that briefing and they talked to journalists beforehand saying how skeptical they were of the law. And then they walk out of that briefing saying that they supported the law 100%. So clearly the government, the intelligence agencies and the FBI told Congress something.

Similarly, during the litigation at the D.C. Circuit, the government submitted classified information that was only available to the judges and not to the litigants, to TikTok, and obviously not to the public. TikTok was very upset about this and wrote a brief asking the judges not to use this evidence.

Similarly, during the litigation at the D.C. Circuit, the government submitted classified information that was only available to the judges and not to the litigants, to TikTok, and obviously not to the public. TikTok was very upset about this and wrote a brief asking the judges not to use this evidence.